Guide devices for roller presses



y 1961 J. s. COPELAND ETAL 2,986,083

GUIDE DEVICES F OR ROLLER PRESSES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 18, 1958 lllllllllll INVENTORS D H" "Tu P AMO Tao VIRGIL A.

FRANCIS JOHN S.

BY 7 ATTORNEY y 30, 1961 J. 5. COPELAND ETAL 2,986,083

GUIDE DEVICES FOR ROLLER PRESSES 3 R n O V 2 m m m t ER 0 e u W SM s F- a m m w. w m y 65 M M 0 Y B Filed July 18, 1958 y 1961 J. 5. COPELAND ET AL 2,986,083

GUIDE DEVICES FOR ROLLER PRESSES Filed July 18, 1958 ATTORNEY United States Patent GUIDE DEVICES FOR ROLLER PRESSES John S. Copeland, Dumas, Francis P. Miller, Sunray, and

Virgil A. Tasker, Dumas, Tex., assignors to Continental Carbon Company, Amarillo, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 18, 1958, Ser. No. 749,527

4 Claims. (Cl. 100-154) This invention relates to guiding devices for roller presses such as are used to press bags of particulate material (i.e., powder, crystalline or granular) into increased density and uniform shape, the final bags with the enclosed material being substantially rectangular in crosssection, thereby facilitating ease of handling, conservation of space, etc.

At present, most bag shapers, bag fiatteners, or bag roller presses comprise a pair of superposed and generally parallel power driven conveying belts. The lower power driven conveying belt is considerably longer, extending outwardly beyond the upper power driven conveying belt both on the feed and discharge ends of the press for convenience in feeding and discharging the bags. The spacing between the superposed and generally parallel conveying belts is so adjusted that the bags will freely enter the feed or inlet end of the press, with the conveying belts converging as they approach the discharge end in order to provide a compressing and shaping action which is progressive. Frequently, provision is made to change the spacing between the superposed conveying belts on the discharge end of the press to thereby enable variation in the degree of compression.

The bags are usually abutted in end-to-end relationship as they are fed to the roller press so that four of the six sides of each bag are supported (except, of course, for the very first and last bags which will necessarily have one unsupported end surface).

In the event the degree of compression is excessive, and there is no effective support for the two sides of the bags which are at right angles to the conveying belts, the pressure of the enclosed material will cause splitting at these points.

It is among the objects of the present invention to ameliorate the troublesome situation described immediately hereinbefore by effectively supporting the sides of the bags which are at right angles to the superposed conveying belts of the roller press.

Another object is the attainment of the foregoing in a manner which is both easy and inexpensive, the apparatus therefore being applicable to roller presses of existing esign.

The invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative of some of several ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of a roller press employing superposed power driven conveying belts and employing the apparatus of the present invention, the same being viewed from the discharge end;

Figure 2 is a plan View of a series of exposed roller elements, which will be specifically referred to hereinafter, and which is adapted for useage on the left-hand side of the roller press, as viewed in Figure l Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the showing of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a series of roller elements of the type disclosed in Figure 2 which is adapted for useage on the right-hand side of the roller press and with the roller elements interiorly supporting an idle conveyor belt;

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the showing of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective, partly in section, and illustrating the manner of operation of the endless belt which is shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designates a frame which supports a pair of superposed shafts 6 and 8, each of which carries an enlarged roll, as shown at 10 and 12, respectively.

The shaft 8 for the upper roll 12 is shown as provided with conventional adjusting means 18 by means of which it may be moved vertically with respect to the shaft 6 and its roll 10.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the showing of Figure l is from the discharge, or bag-outlet, end of the roller press; and it will be understood that the apparatus thereof comprises a succession of shafts 6 and 8 and rolls 10 and 12, the latter supporting upper and lower endless belts 20 and 22, respectively.

The apparatus described immediately hereinbefore is, of course, entirely conventional in the art of roller presses and, as such, forms no part of the present invention. Accordingly, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary, except to say that one or more of the shafts 6 and 8 are suitably power driven, particularly those which are most adjacent the discharge, or bag-outlet, end

Mounted on the frame 2 and at either side of the roller press is a pair of adjustable holders 26, each of which supports a rod 28. Suitably secured to the inner ends of each pair of rods 28 and facing the longitudinal center of the roller press is an open channel member 30, the latter being provided with bracing members, etc., as shown at 31.

The present invention contemplates a plurality of similarly disposed channel members 30 and associated instrumentalities (for example, four on each side of the roller press, making a total of eight in number with perhaps but six in operation at the same time, as will be explained hereinafter), the same being identical in construction if desired.

Rotatably disposed in each of the channel members 30 is a series of shafts 32, each of which supports a roller 33. According to a permissive embodiment, twentyone (21) such shafts 32 and rollers 33 may be carried by a single channel member 30.

In any event, the channel members 30 and the shafts 32 and rollers 33 carried thereby taper downwardly in height from the feed, or bag-inlet, end to the discharge, or bag-outlet end of the roller press. That is, the rollers 33 in each channel 30 continuously taper downwardly in length as the discharge end of the roller press is approached. For example, the twenty-one rollers 33 illustrated in Figure 2 may be approximately 2 /2 inches in diameter with the roller at the bag-inlet end of each section being /8 inch longer than the roller at the bag-outlet end, each of the intervening rollers being approximately /2 inch shorter than the one next preceeding. Also for purposes of illustration, when four sections of rollers 33 are used on each side of the roller press, the first, second and third may be used for assisting in compression of, say, seven inches down to 5% inches; and the second, third and fourth sections of rollers used when the compression is from 6% inches down to 4 inches.

Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6 another embodiment of the present invention contemplates the association with the rollers 33 of an endless conveyor belt 38. As shown, this endless conveyor belt 38 is'trained' around, and envelopes, the said rollers; and it may acceptably be of a two-ply highflex variety. The width of the endless conveyor belt is equal to the length of the longest roller 33 in each section plus an additional amount. Assuming that the length of the longest roller is around 7 inches, the additional amount of the width of the endless conveyor belt 38 might be around A inch. In addition, the top edge of the belt is cut. as at 40 to a suitable depth and at appropriate angles and intervals to enable the belt to fold back over the rollers on the narrow discharge end of each section and return between the bottom of the channel member and the rollers. With rollers of the specific size referred to hereinbefore, the top edge of the belt might suitably be cut at a 60 degree: angle to a depth of Va inch every 2 inches along the edge.

It will, of course, be understood that those portions of the apparatus of the present invention which contact the sides edges of the bag, whether it be the rollers 33 themselves or the enveloping endless belt 38, in order to be effective, must project sufiiciently from the channel members 30.

While we have shown and described several specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily understood that we do not wish to be limited exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for compressing objects into substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape comprising a pair of superposed and convergent substantially flat conveyor belts providing entrance and exit areas, and a unitary row of idle-rollers disposed along either side of the space between said superposed conveyor belts and at right-angles to the surfaces of the latter wherebysaid idle-rollers are adapted to make contact with the-sides of the object being compressed, the idle-rollers of each unitary row being of substantially the same diameter but of a length which successively decreases toward the convergent ends of the said conveyor belts.

2. Apparatus for compressing objects into substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape comprising a pair of superposed and convergent substantially flat conveyor belts providing entrance and exit areas, a unitary row of idle-rollers disposed along either side of the space between said superposed conveyor belts and at rightangles to the surfaces of the latter whereby said idle-rollers are adapted to make contact with the sides of the object being compressed, the idle-rollers of each unitary row being of substantially the same diameter but of a length which successively decreases toward the convergent ends of the said conveyor belts, and an endless belt trained around said unitary row of idle-rollers.

3. Apparatus for compressing objects into substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape comprising a pair of superposed and convergent substantially fiat conveyor belts providing entrance and exit areas, a unitary row of idle-rollers disposed along either side of the space between said superposed conveyor belts and at right-angles to the surfaces of the latter whereby said idle-rollers are adapted to make contact with the sides of the object being compressed, the idle-rollers of each unitary row being of substantially the same diameter but of a length which successively decreases toward the convergent ends of the said conveyor belts, and an endless belt trained around said unitary row of idle-rollers, the width of said last-named belt being approximately equal to the height of the longest of said idle-rollers, one of the edges of said endless belt being provided with a series of spaced slots of a depth which is sufficient to enable said endless belt to partially fold back over the shorter idle-rollers in its movement with respect thereto.

4. Appara'tus for compressing objects into substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape comprising a pair of superposed and convergent substantially fiat conveyor belts providing entrance and exit areas, a unitary row of idleroll rs disposed along either side of the space between said superposed conveyor belts and at right-angles to the surfaces of the latter whereby said idle-rollers are adapted to make contact with the sides of the object being compressed, the idle-rollers of each unitary row being of substantially the same diameter but of a length which successively decreases toward the convergent ends of the said conveyor belts, and an endless belt trained around said unitary row of idle-rollers, the width of said lastnamed belt being approximately equal to the height of the longest of said idle-rollers, one of the edges of said endless belt being provided with a series of spaced slots extending inwardly at an angle of approximately degrees, the depth of said slots being sufficient to enable said endless belt to partially fold back over the shorter idle-rollers in its movement with respect thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 22,200 Richardson Oct. 13, 1942 182,834 Lauth Oct. 3, 1876 238,105 Gearing Feb. 22, 1881 1,495,799 Raynaud May 27, 1924 1,534,768 Brown Apr. 21, 1925 1,600,383 Ahlskog Sept. 21, 1926 2,651,955 Fisher Sept. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 44,538 Netherlands Nov. 16, 1938 592,196 Great Britain Sept. 10, 1947 

